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Realtor Declares War on House Hunting App

Realtor Declares War on House Hunting App

The use of real-estate applications are growing in Iran and realtors, unlike users, are not happy with the impact of the technology on their income.
Hessam Oqbaei, the head of Tehran Association of Realtor, has spoken in defense of his colleagues, saying that he will “destroy the Divar (Wall in Persian) Application” for it has eliminated the role of registered middlemen in home deals.
“There are some 12,000 realtors in Tehran whose jobs have been endangered by the application whereas realtors should not be removed from the housing market,” ISNA quoted him as saying on Sunday.
As the leading website of classified advertisement, Divar.ir allows people to sell, buy or swap cars, furniture, household appliances or musical instruments. It is currently the most popular website and app in the country for undertaking online sales.
Launched in 2007, it took Divar until 2013 to focus its activities on sales via the Net. It is now the country’s sixth most-visited website, making it the fourth most popular startup. Two Russian businessmen have reportedly invested in the startup.
“Realtors are not against using innovative technologies,” Oqbaei said. “There are modern tools that help us promote the sector, such as ‘Alounak’, which operates in cooperation with realtors.”
Alounak.com is an online platform active in the housing market. The application links realtors to homebuyers and provides periodical market reports.
Oqbaei said he expects a 30% growth in the total number of home sales in Tehran through the use of “lawful technologies” in the coming years.